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Big piece of Coquitlam's Burke Mountain is up for detailed study

A visioning process for the northwest part of Burke Mountain is still in its initial stages but one things is certain: More people will be living on the mountain in the next 30 years.
Burke Mountain
A visioning process for the northwest part of Burke Mountain is still in its initial stages but one things is certain: More people will be living on the mountain in the next 30 years.

A visioning process for the northwest part of Burke Mountain is still in its initial stages but one things is certain: More people will be living on the mountain in the next 30 years.

According to city staff, steep and unstable slopes as well as Streamside Protection and Enhancement Area (SPEA) setbacks will make it difficult to develop the 400-hectare site. Still, a report noted that between 2,200 and 5,300 housing units could be built on the land, which could accommodate a population range of 6,500 to 13,500 residents. 

Coun. Mae Reid told her colleagues last week that the city needs assurances from the province that transportation services will come to the mountain before more development is able to take place. 

“It has to be a certainty,” she said. “It should have been built quite a while ago.”

She also said that the city needs to look at tourism opportunities in the area, noting that the natural setting is popular among mountain bikers and hikers. Reid noted that there are already local companies that take people on hiking tours up Burke.

The population estimates for the northwest Burke Mountain vision area vary depending on how many single-family homes or townhouses are built as well as the total amount of developable property on the site.

The 400 hectares covered by the northwest Burke plan start at the gravel quarry on the west side of Burke Mountain and continue across Coquitlam River, up the mountain to the top of Coast Meridian Road and continuing east between the border of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park and the north end of Partington Creek. City staff believe that 95 to 200 hectares are developable. 

“We want to make sure that the planning we are doing meshes with what is feasible from an engineering perspective,” said Jim McIntyre, the city’s general manager of planning and development. “We want to make sure that what we are bringing forward can ultimately be serviced.”

There could even be some room for commercial properties, according to Steve Gauley, a city planner. 

“We believe there may be some opportunity for local-based commercial,” he said. “We will need to confirm through the neighbourhood planning stage and with the development community as well.”

gmckenna@tricitynews.com

@gmckennaTC